Westport company sued over 'dangerous' baby bottles

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, May 28, 2008

NEW HAVEN

Associated Press

An Arkansas woman has filed a federal lawsuit accusing a Connecticut company of making plastic baby bottles with a dangerous chemical linked to serious health problems.

The lawsuit by Ashley Campbell against Playtex Products Inc. of Westport is the latest challenge involving the industrial chemical bisphenol A. The lawsuit seeks nationwide class action status to represent what it says are thousands of people who bought plastic bottles containing the chemical from Playtex or other companies.

Canada said last month the chemical, found in hard plastic water bottles, DVDs, CDs and hundreds of other common items, is potentially harmful and may ban its use in baby bottles. A growing number of parents are turning to glass bottles amid the concerns over bisphenol A.

The U.S. government's National Toxicology Program said last month that there is "some concern" about BPA from experiments on rats that linked the chemical to changes in behavior and the brain, early puberty and possibly precancerous changes in the prostate and breast. With more than 6 million pounds produced in the United States each year, bisphenol A is found in dental sealants, baby bottles, the liners of food cans, CDs and DVDs, eyeglasses and hundreds of household goods.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, has said its baby bottles will be BPA-free early next year.

Jacqueline Burwitz, a spokeswoman for Playtex, said the company does not comment on pending lawsuits. She cited a general statement by the company about BPA that says U.S. and worldwide regulatory bodies continue to deem the ingredient safe.

Citing "consumer confusion," the company says it offers a free sample of a bottle system that uses disposable liners that are BPA-free and plans to convert the balance of its product line to BPA-free materials by the end of the year.